Record 101,000 net migrants moved to British Columbia in 2021

December 2021: construction progress on Alberni by Kengo Kuma at 1550 Alberni Street, Vancouver. (Sky Hive/Glotman Simpson Consulting Engineers)

The number of people who moved to British Columbia — international immigration and interprovincial migration combined — reached a new record in 2021.

According to the provincial government’s breakdown of new data from Statistics Canada, net migration in BC reached 100,797 people in 2021 — the highest annual total in 60 years since 1961. This figure is equivalent to roughly the population of the City of Delta.

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This includes 33,656 people who moved to BC from other Canadian provinces and territories, the highest number experienced since 1994 and the highest in Canada.

Another 67,141 people came to BC in 2021 from other countries, marking the second-highest level of international immigration to BC on record. In 2021, BC was second to Ontario’s global immigration volumes.

It should be emphasized that these significant numbers represent net migration — the number of people who moved to BC from another province/territory or from another country, minus the number of people who left.

“People are coming to BC in record numbers because they know that by investing in people, we are building a stronger province where their families will have a safe and secure future,” said Premier John Horgan in a statement.

“We welcome these newcomers with open arms, and we are determined to deliver the services and housing people in BC need to support this record growth.”

The provincial government states the migration numbers will be highly beneficial to address the immense labour shortage being experienced in BC, which is contributing to inflation, with higher labour costs to compete for and retain workers passed on to the cost of goods and services for consumers.

For example, this impacts the cost of housing construction, and forthcoming major transportation and infrastructure projects planned by various levels of governments.

The healthcare sector has also seen an attrition of workers since the pandemic began for various that include burnout from the prolonged health crisis.

The provincial government is forecasting one million job openings in BC over the coming decade, with 80% of these future job openings requiring some level of post-secondary education or training. Last month, the provincial government introduced changes to the Provincial Nominee Program, which enables immigrants who received international training in health care and childcare to more easily transfer their credentials in BC, and begin working in high-demand sectors.

Although recovery between sectors varies, all jobs lost at the start of the pandemic in 2020 have now been regained. In fact, according to the provincial government, 84,000 more people are working in BC than before the pandemic, which establishes a job recovery rate of 103.2% — the highest in Canada.

While the migration flows may be beneficial for the labour market in BC, the volume is likely to put greater pressure on housing costs in the province, especially in Metro Vancouver, where many of these migrants are expected to have moved. Municipal governments have generally not kept up with the surging demand for housing, which is greatly contributing to the housing affordability crisis.

The flows are driven by the federal government’s three-year plan between 2021 and 2023 to allow 1.2 million immigrants into the country — a measure to address the backlog in immigration applications due to the pandemic, and to sustain long-term economic growth.

Nationally, Statistics Canada data shows a total of 405,750 immigrants were recorded in Canada throughout 2021, with 138,182 in the fourth quarter alone, which was an all-time record for immigration for any year or quarter since records began post-war in 1946.

Nearly half (49%) of Canada’s immigrants in 2021 headed to Ontario, which saw 198,530 — up from 153,413 in 2021.

Market research predicts Canada will see 411,000 international immigrants in 2022, with 55,000 expected to move to Metro Vancouver. Most of these immigrants are young with a typical age of 28 and are educated and skilled, with 70% deemed to be in the economic class.

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